DC Comics, WB team for charity

Superhero campaign to fight hunger in Africa

DC Comics and parent Warner Bros. have embarked on an unusual multimillion-dollar, two-year campaign to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa using images of iconic superheroes and promoted across all Time Warner divisions.

Justice League characters Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg will be hallmarks of the “We Can Be Heroes” campaign, its dominant image their figures outlined in silhouette against the African continent. The muscle of Warner Bros., Turner Broadcasting, Time Inc. and HBO will stand alongside in “creating crucially needed awareness of this crisis worldwide,” the companies said.

“This campaign goes straight to the heart of our core competency, as Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment both have a rich legacy of telling socially relevant, compelling stories with characters embraced by global audiences,” said Jeff Robinov, prexy of Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

DC and Warner will work with three key humanitarian groups as partners. Over the next two years, Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps will equally share a corporate donation of at least $2 million, comprised of cash donations, employee matching funds and consumer matching funds.

“The members of the Justice League are an international team of superheroes beloved by a broad range of fans, including men and women, young and old. This makes them the perfect “spokescharacters’ for this campaign,” said Diane Nelson, prexy of DC Entertainment.

A key launch element of We Can Be Heroes is the campaign’s website, WeCanBeHeroes.org, where consumers can make donations that DC Entertainment will match 100% (up to $1 million), purchase branded merchandise, and join the We Can Be Heroes online community.